The Falcons are set to travel north in late November to take on the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field, but it’s not just any game. The matchup will take place on November 27th, which will be the 15th anniversary of the tragic passing of Sean Taylor.
Taylor was the No. 5 overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft and played all four professional seasons for Washington. He was a budding star and inspired many (including myself) to fall in love with the game of football. On November 27th, 2007, Taylor was heartlessly murdered during a robbery attempt. He was only 24 years old.
The Commanders announced Monday that the team would honor Taylor with a permanent installation at FedEx Field during their matchup with the Falcons. However, this won’t be the first time the organization has tried to honor the once-great Miami Hurricane.
Last year, the troubled Washington organization faced massive backlash based on the timing of Taylor’s jersey retirement. His family only heard about the ceremony days before it was supposed to occur. I believe the team was using Taylor’s memorial as a shield from all the criticism they’d been facing over internal workplace sexual harassment, among other allegations against Dan Snyder’s franchise.
Washington is a storied organization, but Snyder has wholly tarnished the brand. I’m not suggesting the only motivation for retiring Taylor’s jersey was to get the target off their backs, but from where I’m sitting, it seems the organization knew what they were doing.
Regardless, the Commanders seem to be trying to right their wrongs. Falcons fans will get a firsthand account of how they choose to honor one of the NFL’s greatest players that was taken from the game too soon.
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